Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Welcome......To Odd Acres

[Finallygotit]

Thanks for the info on the primer. Eliminating all that sanding/grinding would definitely be worth it. Smart move building the shed and then emptying the house garage into it in order to paint. I would definitely be "challenged" with emptying out my garage these days, but that freshly painted floor looks so good, it might be worth tackling it.

Rick, one of the things you have to check on first it to make sure whatever is on the floor now won't come up. If i remember correctly, the test is to take a box cutter or Stanley knife and make an "X" on the floor. Then take some duct tape or similar sticky tape and put it over the "X". When you pull up the tape, no part of the existing floor finish should come up with it. If it does, you have to grind.

I like what you did with your floor. I'm going to paint the floor in my sun porch later this year and I'm trying to decide what to use so I'm taking notes, any thing you would have done different? Thanks, Jim.

Jim, I don't think I would have done anything different here. This is like the sixth or seventh time I have put this stuff on a floor. (Although this is the first time using this primer) The only thing I would caution on is that this product is not UV resistant. I have a friend of mine who put this stuff down on the concrete in his courtyard and it has yellowed.

I hope this helps guys.

 

[Finallygotit]

I have a medical question to pose to the collective.

My lovely wife has been having issues with one of her ankles. She has royally fu-barred the thing after years of being a tomboy, having broken it twice and her, shall we say, "advanced years". She had an MRI done and it is showing lots of arthritis, little nodules that are growing where the breaks have healed which are limiting her range of motion and is in quite of bit if pain. The pain isn't constant, BTW. The doc says that it would be a good time to put in a replacement but not wait too long, getting back to her "advanced age" thingy. (Thank god she doesn't read this forum!)

Anyway, my question is, has anyone had their ankle replaced and can you enlighten me as to the good, the bad and the indifferent about your experience?

Thanks in advance for your wisdom.

 

[harley jim]

No wisdom here but ouch!
I have the arthritis and bone spurs all over, my Doc ground some off when he fused my neck but since its fused It dosnt help. I wish her luck.

 

[rmack898]

Dan,
I hate to be one of those guys that responds to your question with totally unrelated filler to tell you about me, but.....................I had bi-lateral (both left and right) joint replcement.. The medical folks told me that I would no longer be in constant pain. The new joints are amazing and I can do things now that I couldn't do years ago without pain, and I have no regrets on choosing to get the replacements. What the medical people didn't tell me was the things that I could not do with the new joints that I could do with the old worn out joints. The trade off was worth it in my mind but it would have been nice if I knew the whole story on the front end.

I'm offering this only so that you should ask the questions that I didn't ask.......what can't I do after the replacement?

 

[Finallygotit]

No wisdom here but ouch!
I have the arthritis and bone spurs all over, my Doc ground some off when he fused my neck but since its fused It doesn't help. I wish her luck.

Jim, no worries and thank you for chiming in!

Dan,
I hate to be one of those guys that responds to your question with totally unrelated filler to tell you about me, but.....................I had bi-lateral (both left and right) joint replacement.. The medical folks told me that I would no longer be in constant pain. The new joints are amazing and I can do things now that I couldn't do years ago without pain, and I have no regrets on choosing to get the replacements. What the medical people didn't tell me was the things that I could not do with the new joints that I could do with the old worn out joints. The trade off was worth it in my mind but it would have been nice if I knew the whole story on the front end.

I'm offering this only so that you should ask the questions that I didn't ask.......what can't I do after the replacement?

Mac, very good advice indeed. I appreciate all of the information you have offered up. I will pass this on as food for thought to my lovely wife. I think this surgery would be the right thing to do but it's her body and her ultimate decision.

 

[Finallygotit]

Mac, would you be able to offer a "for instance" on what you can't do now with the new joints? If you would rather answer it via PM, I understand.

Thanks!

Dan

 

[rmack898]

Dan, PM sent

 

[Finallygotit]

Floor looks great. That primer sounds like a great product -- I'll be interested in hearing how it works for you long-term.

Well Rick, as of this writing, the floor coating is performing very well. Absolutely no evidence of any hot tire pick-up, cracking or delamination of any sort. So far, so good!

 

[Finallygotit]

I see it has been awhile since I updated this thread. Sorry about that, life really got in the way. My parents recently passed away so that kept me busy and depressed to say the least.

Onto things that kept my mind occupied in between things. I apologize for the lack of pictures as I really should have taken more.

Two projects I worked on were due to a lack of spare parts being available. One was a plastic friction piece (and a spare) used on a trolling motor and the other were replacement screws for a bait casting reel. In the picture below the screw on the right is the original.



The thread on the screws is 2.5mm x 0.45mm. Those are pretty small threads.

Also, we decided to upgrade our solar system with a battery. Here is the battery being installed in the garage. I decided to put it in there to keep it out of the sun and heat.


Here is the completed unit with the cover on.


And here is command central with additional electrical boxes. We also had to have our electrical panel upgraded with a larger capacity bus.


We are almost done at this point. Just waiting on the electric utility to do a final inspection then the solar company will be back out to finish the project, stucco patch and paint.

 

[Mr.zippy]

Thanks for the updates! I appreciate you taking the time to share your little piece of heaven!
Sorry about the loss…..can’t seem to get by in life without the pain……..

 

[slodat]

Dan - my deepest condolences.

Solar upgrade looks nice and clean!

 

[jbmatth]

Sorry to hear about your parents passing, I wish you the best in this tough time.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Deepest condolences to you and your family Dan. Glad to see you back posting again.

 

[zmotorsports]

Condolences Dan. Prayers go out to you and your family on your loss.

 

[rmack898]

So sorry to hear of your loss Dan.

Nice upgrade on your solar system.

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks for the updates! I appreciate you taking the time to share your little piece of heaven!
Sorry about the loss…..can’t seem to get by in life without the pain……..

Thank you. Yeah, this is the "****" part of life.

Dan - my deepest condolences.

Solar upgrade looks nice and clean!

Thanks Steven.

Sorry to hear about your parents passing, I wish you the best in this tough time.

JB

Thanks JB.

Deepest condolences to you and your family Dan. Glad to see you back posting again.

Thanks Marc.

Condolences Dan. Prayers go out to you and your family on your loss.

Thank you Mike.

So sorry to hear of your loss Dan.

Nice upgrade on your solar system.

Thank you Mac.

As they say, "Life goes on....."

 

[madison069]

The new screws for the bait cast reel looks better then the original. Do you have a picture of the reel or what is the reel that these screws goes on? I enjoy fishing and had a nice little setup for general fishing from the bank. With the recent passing of my parents myself, I inherited all of my dad's fishing stuff. Well, needless to say he was more of an avid fishermen then I am and he had so much gears along with an 18' bass boat that I had a good bit of research and some learning to do! I'm currently using a different rod/reel setup each time I go fishing and I haven't been able to use each one yet. I do like the Pflueger President spinning reel, very nice smooth actions.

Since he was more of a large mouth bass and crappie fisherman, he didn't have much in the way of heavy catfish gear so I've been eyeballing some of the Abu reels out there. But for the price of those reels I've had to resort to kastking bait casting reels and I picked up the Rover 40 and Rover 80 reels. Both has been great reels but I've only gone catfishing 4 times in the past year and the heaviest fish is a 11lbs flathead on the Rover 40.

As for lack of parts for trolling motors, I've ran into that issue also. Seems on my last outing on the boat, I got too close to the dock at the front of the boat and the trolling motor base hit the dock hard enough to crack some plastic pieces. I was able to locate the pieces online but they have been on back order for a month. Supposedly the pieces are being shipped and should be on the way now. I'll believe it when the parts shows up.

 

[RickP]

I'm so sorry to hear about your parents -- times in life such as those can be really difficult to bear. I hope you were able to get together with them in recent years and that you were able to say goodbye in the way that you wanted.

That solar project looks like a good one -- especially with all the sunlight you get out there. It looks like they did a pretty clean installation.

Thanks for the long-term update on the garage floor paint.

 

[Duker]

Dan, my condolences on your parents. I have been absent from the board dealing with my parents health issues but you have reminded me to appreciate and enjoy the time that I have with them as it may not be around much longer. I hope everything else is well in your world.

 

[Finallygotit]

The new screws for the bait cast reel looks better then the original. Do you have a picture of the reel or what is the reel that these screws goes on?

Thank you Madison, the screws go on an old Mitchell bait casting reel that belongs to a friend of mine. I am not sure of the model. The funny thing is, as I go fishing in Canada almost yearly with a bunch of friends. I do not own any fishing gear. Those friends are more than happy to help outfit me. Combined, it takes about three trips with a two wheeled hand truck to load the house boat with their gear. In return, I cook all the meals while we're up there. I really is great fun. Now what were we talking about?

I'm so sorry to hear about your parents -- times in life such as those can be really difficult to bear. I hope you were able to get together with them in recent years and that you were able to say goodbye in the way that you wanted.

That solar project looks like a good one -- especially with all the sunlight you get out there. It looks like they did a pretty clean installation.

Thanks for the long-term update on the garage floor paint.

Thanks Rick. I was able to see my mother before she passed. I saw my father about a month before he passed. He wasn't doing too bad at the time. My bother called about two and a half weeks later that my dad took a turn. I was making arrangements to go back and see him but he didn't last. At least my brother was there to relay messages. I do wish I could have been there.

Dan, my condolences on your parents. I have been absent from the board dealing with my parents health issues but you have reminded me to appreciate and enjoy the time that I have with them as it may not be around much longer. I hope everything else is well in your world.

Thanks Duke. Absolutely, cherish the days that you have now. Personally, I find it odd now that I don't have them around any more. They were just always there.

Thank you all for your support. It means a lot.

 

[madison069]

Thank you Madison, the screws go on an old Mitchell bait casting reel that belongs to a friend of mine. I am not sure of the model. The funny thing is, as I go fishing in Canada almost yearly with a bunch of friends. I do not own any fishing gear. Those friends are more than happy to help outfit me. Combined, it takes about three trips with a two wheeled hand truck to load the house boat with their gear. In return, I cook all the meals while we're up there. I really is great fun. Now what were we talking about?


Thank you all for your support. It means a lot.

Where in Canada do you and your friends go? My neighbor has been wanting to take me to Canada for some fishing since I moved to this house but the timing has always been bad. I figured it must of been your own reel you were making the screw for so I went down the rabbit hole of fishing gears!

As evidence by your comment it seems fishing can be as simple as a pole and a can of worm or as overwhelming as several hand trucks of fishing gears! LOL

 

[Finallygotit]

We fish in Lake of the Woods. And if you know anything about that area, it is HUGE! We get our houseboat out of Sioux Narrows, Ontario.

 

[cros13]

Hi Dan, Sorry for your loss, I cant fathom loosing my parents. My old boy is 86 now, he had me when he was 50. He is slowing down a lot now days and he isn't able to do any manual work anymore. Go back even 5 years, he was in the garden all day with a shovel and a hoe. Now he gets tired and burnt out doing simple tasks outside. Never been to a doctor in his life, fit as a fiddle, and now he is on ****** 10 tablets per day for all the issues that come with old age. Not looking forward to the day he leaves us that's for sure.

I'm keen to see how the floor holds up, I have read a few stories of the rustoleum lifting with hot tyres etc, but perhaps in those cases it was poor prep work?

Rudi.

 

[Finallygotit]

Hi Rudi, and thank you! All I can say is be there for your father. You don't want to be one of those son's that say, "I wish I would have....."

As for the floor, I can only assume that the reason some folks have poor results with the floor coating failing is due to poor prep like you said. I have used this product on garage floors in the last four houses we had and never once did it fail. This was the first time that I had to use the floor primer and I was nervous about it; having to go over an already painted floor. But so far, so good.

 

[Finallygotit]

Well, had a couple of small projects to get done. My good friend brought over his laser engraver. He just purchased a new spinning fixture to engrave stuff on round items. The only problem was that there isn't enough space between the laser and the work piece. I told him I would make some adapters to fit up to the 80/20 aluminum extrusion and add some SS threaded rod.

Here is the engraver as delivered.


I started with some 6061 aluminum bar stock and squared the six sides.


Then I started milling the profile for the pieces.




Then I sawed off what I needed from each end of the bar and re-squared the sawed end (twice) and ending up with this.


Then I drilled and tapped for the all-thread on one side and drilled a clearance hole for the attachment screw on the other side.


And we now have these.


Here they are temporarily fitted.


Here are the adapters after paint and with the right fasteners.


And here we are with the final product. Made my friend quite happy.

 

[Finallygotit]

The other small project was to make a fastener for my favorite pair of pruning shears. (It's really nice to have a lathe and a mill!) The original special bolt and nut would not stay adjusted and always came loose. The shears don't cut so awfully well with loose hardware. From what I can estimate, the factory mashed the threads on the bolt in an attempt to lock the nut in place. That didn't work so well here.

Here is the bar stock chucked up and the threaded end being turned down to size.



Here is the shoulder portion of the bolt finished to it's diameter.


1/4"-20 threads being cut.

And here is is cut off.


Now into the mill to put on a couple of flats.


New versus old.


And here are the shears ready to attack the trees.

 

[RickP]

And here we are with the final product. Made my friend quite happy.

Nice work on those adjustable legs - the black paint makes the brackets look OEM.

Did having that printer in your shop start tempting you to get into 3D stuff?

 

[Finallygotit]

Did having that printer in your shop start tempting you to get into 3D stuff?

Ummmmm....... best we not talk about that. That's another rabbit hole I don't want to go down just yet.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

[Finallygotit]

So this past Thursday was new tool Thursday!! I love new tools.

I have always wanted to have an ultrasonic cleaning tank. And I want to thank Mr. Bob Heine for this one as he pushed me over the edge.





And with all of the metal working I have been doing lately, I decided it was time to purchase a bandsaw. I really got tired of hacksawing. Even with the Sawzall, it was a pain. This unit is pretty versatile. it will cut on an angle(s), will pivot to be a vertical saw, is variable speed, has LED lighting and with the removal of two screws, it can be portable. Hell, it even has wheels on it so you can drag it around.









I didn't want a saw that would take up any floor space as I'm running out of it. For the few cuts that it did, it performed well; even with the cheap blade that came with it. So far this power toy, I mean tool, has surpassed my expectations. This saw will come in real handy when I start building my metal bench. I the meantime it's going to be practice, practice, practice with the welder.

 

[The_Geologist]

Very nice additions to the workshop!

What's the capacity on your new ultrasonic cleaner? I have been looking at something larger than the 2.5 L one I currently have from HF.

 

[Grizz1963]

I do love the idea of these bandaws.

They look so mean, and seeing them work…….

Instant envy.

 

[madison069]

Very nice additions to the workshop!

What's the capacity on your new ultrasonic cleaner? I have been looking at something larger than the 2.5 L one I currently have from HF.

I don't know about his, but I see they have the 10L on Amazon for $166. I'm putting it in my wish list for now.

 

[zmotorsports]

I've been wanting an Ultrasonic Cleaner as well Dan. Just having a hard time justifying it at this time.

 

[Finallygotit]

Very nice additions to the workshop!

What's the capacity on your new ultrasonic cleaner? I have been looking at something larger than the 2.5 L one I currently have from HF.

Adam, this cleaner has a 10L capacity. The tank measures 11.8" x 9.4" x 9.5" deep. Here's a link to the one I purchased. Ultrasonic Cleaner

I do love the idea of these bandsaws.

They look so mean, and seeing them work…….

Instant envy.

Rian, I'm really happy so far with this one.

I don't know about his, but I see they have the 10L on Amazon for $166. I'm putting it in my wish list for now.

Madison, see link above.

I've been wanting an Ultrasonic Cleaner as well Justin. Just having a hard time justifying it at this time.

Mike, this one isn't that pricey. It's better built than what I was expecting. Go for it!

 

[cros13]

That bandsaw will pay itself off in no time.
Mine is a small one like that, and it was worth its weight in gold when it came to making all my workbenches and the carport at dads. One of the best tools I have purchased!

Rudi.

 

[Finallygotit]

Hi Rudi! I really like this band saw. It sure beats using the Sawzall or a hacksaw. As a matter of fact, I recently used it to make some special T-nuts for a good friend of mine. These are for his Shopsmith. It looks like you can't get these as a single purchase.

I needed to make four of these little darlings. Here is the original with the blank next to it.


And here is the original (on the left) with one of the completed T-nuts.


And now for some real fun!

During this past monsoon season, we started to hear water dripping on the ceiling in various areas. I went into the attic and sure enough, it seems we have sprung a few leaks in the roof. So after getting some quotes we began the process. This was killing me since we just got all the bugs worked out with the battery. But, of course, we have to pull down the solar panels, micro-inverters and racking. And that, of course, costs money too.

Here we have a bare roof again, except for the stanchions that hold the racking in place.


And here we have the 30 panels all neatly stacked in the garage with the micro-inverters not so neatly stacked.


The roofers are starting this Monday to completely redo the entire roof. We DO NOT want to EVER have to worry about this roof ever again.

 

[loganb]

Thanks for helping me add 2 things to the wish list and good luck on the roof!

 

[RickP]

These are for his Shopsmith. It looks like you can't get these as a single purchase.

I needed to make four of these little darlings. Here is the original with the blank next to it.

Those T-nuts look perfect -- now I'm going to have to check my ShopSmith to make sure I still have mine.

Sorry about the roof leaks -- but they'll be in your rear-view before you know it. I'm sure the roofers will get it done right, and hopefully quickly!

 

[Finallygotit]

Those T-nuts look perfect -- now I'm going to have to check my ShopSmith to make sure I still have mine.

Sorry about the roof leaks -- but they'll be in your rear-view before you know it. I'm sure the roofers will get it done right, and hopefully quickly!

Hi Rick, my friend said that he liked mine better than the OEM. I think he was hinting at making a few more. That would be great as it would require a trip to Industrial Metals.

I am so looking forward to a new roof.

 

[Finallygotit]

Thanks for helping me add 2 things to the wish list.......

Glad I can help!